Hair-cutting system including a hair-cutting apparatus and a comb device

ABSTRACT

A hair-cutting system ( 1 ) comprising a hair-cutting apparatus ( 2 ) for cutting hairs, having a cutting device ( 3 ), and a comb device ( 4 ) which at least during operation is mounted on the hair-cutting apparatus ( 2 ) in the area of its cutting device ( 3 ) and which has juxtaposed comb elements ( 5 ), in which system ( 1 ) at least some of the comb elements ( 5 ) can be applied to a skin area of a person during operation, each of said comb elements ( 5 ) having a proximal end ( 6 ) and a distal end ( 7 ) and a contact zone ( 8 ) extending between the two ends ( 6, 7 ). At least one of said comb elements ( 5 ) comprises a rigid part ( 13 ) and flexible connection means ( 10 ) attached to each other, by means of which the comb element ( 5 ) adapts itself to the contour of the skin region it is applied to during operation. This improves the raising of hairs on curved regions of the skin area by the comb element ( 5 ), so that the hairs can be cut properly, and it improves the handling of the apparatus ( 2 ). Next to that, the contact of the comb elements ( 5 ) with the skin is experienced as more comfortable by the user.

[0001] The invention relates to a hair-cutting system comprising ahair-cutting apparatus for cutting hairs, having a cutting device and acomb device which at least during operation is mounted on thehair-cutting apparatus in the area of its cutting device and which hasjuxtaposed comb elements, in which system at least some of the combelements can be applied to a skin area of a person and can be moved overthis skin area during operation, each of said comb elements having aproximal end and a distal end and a contact zone extending between thetwo ends, while each comb element is attached to the comb device at anattachment area.

[0002] The invention further relates to a comb device suitable for usein a hair-cutting system according to the invention.

[0003] A hair-cutting system of the type defined in the openingparagraph is known from WO 98/25734.

[0004] This known hair-cutting system comprises a hair-cutting apparatusfor cutting hairs, which apparatus is held in a hand during operation.It further comprises a comb device comprising a first comb section whichis stationarily mounted, and a second comb section which is adjustablerelative to the first comb section. The second comb section comprisesjuxtaposed comb elements which each have a proximal end, being the tip,and a distal end, being the back. Each comb element has a contact zoneextending between the proximal end and the distal end. The comb elementscan be applied to a skin area of a person, especially a person's face,by means of these contact zones for raising hairs to be cut from thatskin area by the cutting device. For raising the hairs properly, thehair-cutting apparatus with the comb device should always be held insuch a relative position with respect to the skin area that an optimalcontact with the skin area is achieved in the contact zone. For userswho lack experience or dexterity, this could lead to handling problemsand possibly to unsatisfactory cutting results in curved regions of theface, such as the chin.

[0005] It is an object of the invention to reduce the afore-mentionedproblems and to provide an improved hair-cutting system.

[0006] To achieve this object, a hair-cutting system according to theinvention is characterized in that at least one of said comb elementscomprises a rigid part and flexible connection means attached to eachother. It is achieved in this way that the comb element is partlyflexibly movable with respect to the region of the face it is appliedto. The comb element thus adapts itself to the contour of the faceregion during operation. Hairs on curved regions of the face are betterraised by the comb element thanks to this close following of thecontour, so that they can be cut properly, while a user can handle theapparatus more easily. This benefits the overall performance of thehair-cutting system. Next to that, the user experiences the contact ofthe comb element with his skin as more comfortable.

[0007] In a hair-cutting system according to the invention, it hasproved to be advantageous if the flexible connection means are chosenfrom a group comprising mechanical hinges, springs, film joints, andelastic hinges. This creates the freedom to adapt the structure of thecomb elements to the type of hair and skin of different user groups.

[0008] A special embodiment of a hair-cutting system in accordance withthe invention is characterized in that the flexible connection means areprovided at least in the contact zone.

[0009] In this way the shape of the contact zone of the comb elementadapts itself to the curvature of a facial region by flexibly bendingalong the flexible connection means while being moved by a user of thecomb element along this region.

[0010] It is advantageous if a plurality of flexible connection meansare provided in the contact zone at substantially equal mutualdistances. Thus the shape of the contact zone is adapted in a uniformmanner to the curvature of the facial region it is applied to.

[0011] It is furthermore advantageous if the flexible connection meansare provided at least between the attachment area and at least one ofthe ends. Thus the angle of the contact zone relative to a base part ofthe comb device is adjustable during operation in that the comb elementis bent along the flexible connection means.

[0012] A further embodiment of a hair-cutting system in accordance withthe invention is characterized in that a distal part of the combelement, which distal part extends from the distal end towards a baseportion of the comb device, lies clear of the base portion of the combdevice. In this way, the comb element has a distal part with an open endwhich is bendable along the flexible connection means which are providedin the contact zone or between the attachment area and the proximal end.This benefits the flexibility of the comb element, so that the contactzone of the comb element follows the curvature of this region relativelymore easily when being moved by a user of the comb element along acurved face region.

[0013] In the aforementioned embodiment of a hair-cutting system inaccordance with the invention comprising an element with a free distalpart, it is advantageous if a plurality of distal parts of the combelements are interconnected by means of connection pieces. In this way,the adaptation of the contact zone to the curvature of a face region isstill acceptable while a stable construction of the comb elements isrealised.

[0014] It is furthermore advantageous if the connection pieces compriseflexible elements. Thus the free distal parts are individually somewhatadaptable to the curvature of a face region, which benefits thefollowing of the curvature of the face region by the contact zone.

[0015] The invention will be described in more detail below withreference to the drawings, in which

[0016]FIG. 1a is a perspective view of a first embodiment of ahair-cutting system according to the invention,

[0017]FIG. 1b is a diagrammatic view of a cross-section of a comb deviceof the hair-cutting system taken on the line Ib-Ib in FIG. 1a,

[0018]FIG. 1c diagrammatically shows the bending of a comb element ofthe comb device of FIG. 1b relative to that comb device,

[0019]FIG. 2 shows the hair-cutting system of FIG. 1a while operated bya user,

[0020]FIG. 3a is a perspective view of a second embodiment of ahair-cutting system according to the invention,

[0021]FIG. 3b is a diagrammatic view of a cross-section of the combdevice of the hair-cutting system taken on the line IIIb-IIIb in FIG.3a,

[0022]FIG. 4 is a diagrammatic view of a cross-section of a comb deviceof a third embodiment of a hair-cutting system according to theinvention,

[0023]FIG. 5a is a perspective view of a fourth embodiment of ahair-cutting system according to the invention, and

[0024]FIG. 5b shows part of the comb device of FIG. 5a when applied to acurved skin area, viewed from direction F.

[0025]FIG. 1a shows a first embodiment of a hair-cutting system 1according to the invention, comprising a hair-cutting apparatus 2 forcutting hairs with a main body 11, and a cutting device 3, andcomprising a comb device 4 which at least during operation is mounted onthe hair-cutting apparatus 2 in the area of its cutting device 3. Thecutting device 3 comprises a stationary cutter and a movable cutter,which are known as such and therefore are not shown here in any detail.The comb device 4 is present around this cutting device 3, so as toprovide a distance between the cutting device 3 and a skin area thehair-cutting system 1 is applied to. In this way, a more uniformhair-cutting length is realized. The comb device 4 in this embodiment ismovable relative to the cutting device 3 in a direction A shown in FIG.1a by means of an adjustment ring 14 for selecting differenthair-cutting lengths, which principle is known from EP 325326 B 1. Thevarying adjustment positions of the cutting device 3 are rendered asdots C in FIG. b. Furthermore, the main body 11 of the hair-cuttingapparatus 2 comprises actuating means connected to a drive motor foractuating the hair-cutting system 1, which are known as such andtherefore are not shown here in any detail.

[0026] The comb device 4 has juxtaposed comb elements 5 which can beapplied to a skin area of a person and can be moved over this skin areaduring operation. Each of said comb elements 5 has a proximal end 6 anda distal end 7 and a contact zone 8 extending between the two ends 6 and7, as can also be seen in FIG. 1b. Furthermore, each comb element 5 isattached to the comb device 4 at an attachment area 9 which is part of abase portion 20 of the comb device 4. The comb elements 5 comprise aplurality of rigid parts 13 attached to flexible connection means 10. Inthis embodiment, a plurality of flexible connection means 10 are firstof all provided in the contact zone 8. The flexible connection means 10comprise elastic hinges R1-R3 made of, for example, an elastic materialsuch as rubber. It is achieved in this manner that during operation theshape of the contact zone 8 is adapted to a curvature of a face regionit is applied to. Thus it is relatively easy for a user to hold theapparatus during operation in such a relative position with respect tothe skin area that an optimal contact with the skin area is achieved forthe contact zone. Because of this optimal contact, the hairs present onthe curvature of a face region are raised properly to a relatively largeextent, so that as many hairs as possible can be cut. The elastic hingesR1-R3 are provided in the contact zone 8 at substantially equal mutualdistances. Thus the shape of the contact zone 8 is adapted in a uniformmanner to the curvature of the face region it is applied to duringoperation. It is noted that the number of flexible connection meansprovided in the contact zone can be freely chosen as desired.

[0027] Furthermore, as can be seen in FIGS. 1a and 1 b, further flexibleconnection means 10′ are provided at least between the attachment area 9and one of the ends 6 and 7. In this embodiment the flexible connectionmeans 10′ are provided between the attachment area 9 and both ends 6 and7, and are present closely adjacent this attachment area 9. Theseflexible connection means 10′ comprise elastic hinges R4 and R5 and aremade of, for example, an elastic material such as rubber. In this waythe angle of the contact zone 8 relative to the base portion 20 of thecomb device 4 is also adjustable, to achieve a better adaptation to acurvature of a face region it is applied to, as is diagrammaticallyshown in FIG. 1c. The deformed shape of the comb element 5, as bentalong the flexible connection means 10 and 10′ in the contact zone 8 andbetween the attachment area 9 and both ends 6 and 7, respectively, isrendered as a dotted line B in FIG. 1b.

[0028] It is noted, that the flexible connection means are chosen from agroup comprising mechanical hinges, springs, film joints, and elastichinges, and can be applied both in the contact zone 8 and between theattachment area 9 and at least one of the ends 6 and 7. This renders itpossible to realize varying structures of the comb element, and thusvarying embodiments of the comb device including the comb elements, foruse in the hair-cutting system according to the invention. The structureof the comb element can be varied in dependence on, for example, thetypes of hair and skin of different user groups.

[0029]FIG. 2 shows the hair-cutting system 1 of FIGS. 1a and 1 b whilebeing operated by a user. The hair-cutting apparatus 2 is held in a handby the user and is moved by him over a curved face region, i.e. the chinin this case. As can be seen in FIG. 2, the shape of contact zone 8adapts itself to the curvature of the chin, and thus the user can easilyoperate the hair-cutting apparatus 2 in such a relative position withrespect to the chin that an optimal contact with the chin is achievedfor the contact zone 8. It is prevented thereby that hairs present onthe chin are not or not correctly contacted by the contact zone 8, andhence the hairs are raised properly by the comb element to be cut by thecutting device 3.

[0030]FIGS. 3a and 3 b show a second embodiment of the hair-cuttingsystem 1, in which the comb elements 5′ are realized in a differentmanner. Parts of the second embodiment which correspond with parts ofthe first embodiment have been given corresponding reference numbers. Inthis embodiment, the comb elements 5′ each have a distal part 15, whichextends from the distal end 7 towards the base portion 20 of the combdevice 4′, and which lies clear of the base portion 20 of the combdevice 4′. In the contact zone 8, flexible connection means 10″ areprovided, which comprise a film joint R6, as can be seen in FIG. 3b. Thefree distal part 15 is thus bendable along the film joint R6, and thecomb element 5′ has a deformed state as rendered with a broken line D inFIG. 3b. In this way, the contact zone 8 of the comb element 5′ isbetter able to follow the curvature of the face region it is applied to,which results in the hairs on this region being raised more properly.

[0031]FIG. 4 shows a comb device 4″ of a third embodiment of thehair-cutting system according to the invention, which comb device 4″differs from the aforementioned embodiment in that flexible connectionmeans 10′″ are provided in the comb elements 5′ between the proximal end6 and the attachment area 9. The flexible connection means 10′″ comprisean elastic hinge R7. The free distal part 15 is thus bendable along theelastic hinge R7, and the comb element 5″ has a deformed state asrendered with a broken line E.

[0032]FIG. 5a shows a fourth embodiment of a hair-cutting systemaccording to the invention, which differs from the second embodiment asseen in FIGS. 3a and 3 b in that connection pieces 16 are providedbetween the free distal parts 15 of the comb elements 5′″. By means ofthese connection pieces 16, the stability of the comb elements 5′″ as awhole is improved, which benefits the handling of the apparatus by theuser. If the connection pieces 16 comprise flexible elements, such as,for example, rubber portions, the comb elements 5′″ are connected toeach other to achieve stability, while each distal part 15 of a combelement 5′″ can move more or less individually with respect to a curvedregion of the face it is applied to, as can be seen in FIG. 5b. In thisFigure, the distal parts 15 connected by flexible pieces 16 are seenfrom a direction F, while the contact zones 8 of the comb elements 5′″are being applied to a curved skin area. The flexible connection pieces16 that connect the free ends of the distal parts 15 to each other arebendable, in such a way that each comb element 5′″ is more or lessindividually adapted to contact the curved skin area.

[0033] It is noted that, with the hair-cutting systems 1 as describedabove, it is relatively easy for a user who lacks experience ordexterity to hold the hair-cutting apparatus 2 with the comb device 4 insuch a relative position with respect to the skin area that an optimalcontact with the skin area is achieved for the contact zone 8. Owing tothis optimal contact, even hairs on curved parts of the face are raisedproperly by the comb elements 5, so that these hairs can be cut by thecutting device 3. Moreover, a more comfortable contact of the combelements 5 with the skin area is achieved in this manner, which benefitsthe overall appreciation of the hair-cutting system 1 by the user.Furthermore, it is noted that the hair-cutting systems 1 as describedabove are not limited to systems for cutting facial hair, such as abeard trimmer, but also comprise systems for cutting hair on the scalp,such as a hair clipper.

[0034] The invention is further not limited to the embodiments asdescribed above. For example, the flexible connection means which areprovided in the contact zone of the comb element, formed by elastichinges in the first embodiment, could also comprise any other type offlexible connection means chosen from a group comprising mechanical andelastic hinges, springs, and film joints. Next to that, otherconstitutions of comb elements with rigid parts attached to flexibleconnection means according to the invention are within the bounds ofpossibility. Another possible embodiment could be, for example, a combelement with flexible connection means provided in the contact zone andbetween the attachment area 9 and only one of the ends 6 or 7.

1. A hair-cutting system (1) comprising a hair-cutting apparatus (2) forcutting hairs, having a cutting device (3), and a comb device (4) whichat least during operation is mounted on the hair-cutting apparatus (2)in the area of its cutting device (3) and which has juxtaposed combelements (5), in which system (1) at least some of the comb elements (5)can be applied to a skin area of a person and can be moved over thisskin area during operation, each of said comb elements (5) having aproximal end (6) and a distal end (7) and a contact zone (8) extendingbetween the two ends (6, 7), while each comb element (5) is attached tothe comb device (4) at an attachment area (9), characterized in that atleast one of said comb elements (5) comprises a rigid part (13) andflexible connection means (10) attached to each other.
 2. A hair-cuttingsystem as claimed in claim 1 , characterized in that the flexibleconnection means (10) are chosen from a group comprising mechanicalhinges, springs, film joints and elastic hinges.
 3. A hair-cuttingsystem as claimed in claim 1 , characterized in that the flexibleconnection means (10) are provided at least in the contact zone (8). 4.A hair-cutting system as claimed in claim 3 , characterized in that aplurality of flexible connection means (10) are provided in the contactzone (8) at substantially equal mutual distances.
 5. A hair-cuttingsystem as claimed in claim 1 , characterized in that the flexibleconnection means (10) are provided at least between the attachment area(9) and at least one of the ends (6, 7).
 6. A hair-cutting system asclaimed in claim 1 , characterized in that a distal part (15) of thecomb element (5), which distal part (15) extends from the distal end (7)towards a base portion (20) of the comb device (4), lies clear of thebase portion (20) of the comb device (4).
 7. A hair-cutting system asclaimed in claim 6 , characterized in that a plurality of distal parts(15) of the comb elements (5) are interconnected by means of connectionpieces (16).
 8. A hair-cutting system as claimed in claim 7 ,characterized in that the connection pieces (16) comprise flexibleelements.
 9. A comb device suitable for use in a hair-cutting system asclaimed in any one or several of the preceding claims.